The Image staff muses on the culture of keeping up appearances

Your morning fashion and beauty report: Rain gear to help stay dry(ish), Stella McCartney to open in Vegas and another royal wedding in the offing!

December 21, 2010 | 8:37
am

Raining again. I love it. But I'd love it more if I could just watch from the window without ever going outside. Impossible. Fortunately, our Melissa Magsaysay has some tips on rain gear to help stay dry(ish) and look good at the same time -- kind of like Gene Kelly dancing and "Singing in the Rain."

Stella McCartney seems to be one of the busiest designers around. Now, on Thursday, she's opening her first Las Vegas store, just in time for the usual post-Christmas influx of visitors. It's a 2,900-square-foot space at the tony Crystals at CityCenter. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

There's another royal wedding on the horizon! This one isn't likely to get the buzz of THE royal wedding -- Prince William and Kate Middleton, in case you've been asleep -- but we're liking the trend. This time it's William's cousin, Zara Phillips, the daughter of his aunt Princess Anne, who announced her engagement to English rugby player Mike Tindall. The ring is described as a single solitaire diamond with pavé set diamonds on a split shank, set on a platinum band. No word yet on a date. [People]

Usually we think of modeling as glamorous, but there is a downside. This is physical labor, after all, and labor in which the human being is decidedly secondary to the clothes on parade. A new alliance has formed aimed at offering protections to those in the trade. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Michelle Obama wore a Marc Jacobs sequined sheath from his fall 2010 runway collection at a recent White House function, marking a long-awaited (by some fashion observers) first matchup of the stylish first lady and the designer. [The Cut]

Postscript to first item: While I've been writing this from my home office, my roof began to leak. Maybe staying inside on a rainy day isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm about to give voice to my feelings ... and not exactly in the way Gene Kelly would!

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Gene Kelly at his finest in "Singing in the Rain." Credit: American Cinematique